dyton mupawaenda
Leonard Ncube-Victoria Falls Reporter
Treasury and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development have been urged to speed up the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway as well as the main Nkayi and Tsholotsho roads, which are in a bad state.
Motorists and travellers have expressed concern over the bad state of the road network, which has worsened since the start of the rainy season.
While significant progress had been made in rehabilitating the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road, works have since stopped after the contractor, Bitumen World, ceased operations three months ago.
Since the onset of rains, the strategic highway now has more potholes making driving a nightmare for motorists.
The situation is the same for the Bulawayo-Nkayi and Bulawayo-Tsholotsho roads, among others.
Responding to these concerns, Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Richard Moyo said he would follow-up with the ministries of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion and Transport and Infrastructural Development to seek commitments on the speeding up of rehabilitation of roads.
“While we are grateful for all development projects initiated by President Mnangagwa and the Second Republic such as Hwange Unit 7 and 8, Lupane State University development, progress at the Welshman Mabhena Government Complex and the Lake Gwayi Shangani, among others in the province, we are being let down by our road network,” he said in an interview.
“We want to understand the situation between the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance concerning the contractor who has stopped work. So, we will follow up through my office to find out what is happening because people are complaining about Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road. Even tourists are complaining because potholes have resurfaced.”
Minister Moyo concurred that the strategic highway leading to the country’s prime resort destination had numerous potholes, which needed urgent attention.
He also said the Bulawayo-Tsholotsho and Bulawayo-Nkayi Roads, which have been severely damaged over the years need urgent sprucing up.
“Also, the Bulawayo-Tsholotsho and Bulawayo-Nkayi Roads are no longer trafficable. While we await them to be tarred, we have to encourage the Ministry of Transport to grade these roads and apply gravel,” said Minister Moyo.
“These are our major roads in the province and are all in a bad state, which affects the distribution of food aid and agricultural inputs.”
The three roads are the major communication links in Matabeleland North while the Lupane-Nkayi-Kwekwe road popularly known as “Fighting Road” is earmarked for upgrading as it is seen as a shorter route from Harare to Victoria Falls via Kwekwe.
The Government has already announced the adoption of a new Road Development Programme, a successor initiative to the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2 (ERRP2) whose term lapsed at the end of last year with private sector funding expected to revitalise the country’s road network.
This buttresses the need to enhance the construction and maintenance of the country’s major roads, whose scope includes concessioning out to the private sector players who would recoup their investment through tolling under private-public partnerships or a build, operate and transfer arrangement.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona is on record saying the Government was determined to prioritise feeder roads linking towns to ease pressure on the trunk roads.
Bitumen World had set up an asphalt plant in Gwayi to enhance its works with a target of rehabilitating a 30km stretch from Hwange towards Victoria Falls and patching potholes between Hwange and Bulawayo before the onset of the rainy season.
The Beitbridge-Bulawayo Victoria Falls Highway is a strategic trade route on the regional north-to-south corridor, linking Zimbabwe with South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia as well as the DRC via Beitbridge.
Pothole patching was also established to be completed between the Beitbridge border and Makhado in Matabeleland South
Road construction falls under the infrastructure clusters and roads are regarded as key economic enablers in the attainment of Vision 2030, that of achieving an upper-middle-income society.
Haulage trucks, mainly from the coal mining areas in the Hwange district, have largely been blamed for the rapid deterioration of the road, leading to legislators calling for the implementation of a resolution that 15 percent of minerals or cargo from mining houses be transferred to the National Railways of Zimbabwe.
However, the railways have been facing challenges resulting in most businesses resorting to using heavy trucks on the roads, which has been blamed for damaging major highways, which increases the cost of maintenance and rehabilitation.
Online Reporter